Top 11 Bike-Friendly Cities: America does better!

We kvetched recently about how only one American city, Portland, made the Top 10 bike-friendly cities in the world list compiled by that paragon of velo-ology, AskMen.com. Now in the spirit of Spinal Tap, Virgin Vacations has gone one notch further up with the 11 Most Bicycle-Friendly Cities in the World. And guess what: There’s FOUR from the U.S. — San Francisco, Portland, Boulder and Davis. We love you Virgin Vacations, even if you sound like an oxymoron.

OK, fair enough. Anyone gets to name their Top 10, so why not Virgin Vacations, one of the world’s leading authorities on getaways? There’s no disputing that all four American destinations, which we’ve spent time in, are eminently bike-friendly. We can quibble whether Boulder and Davis are really cities — I mean, is there any other possible compilation where you’d find Davis alongside Berlin, Barcelona, Amsterdam and Copenhagen? But what the heck. We’re hard at work tracking down a list of the 12 Most Bike-Friendly Cities in the World. Is there an AskWomen.com? Or maybe Carnal Vacations?

Seattle-based and West Coast-focused, Bike Intelligencer covers the world of cycling, from commuting to mountain biking with an eye toward safety and trail advocacy, health and fitness, and just plain having fun.